A figure walked through the garden, a maid following close behind, holding a tray with a telephone on it. Nineteen screens hovered around them, seven displayed live footage from each of the Gates, seven more showed the Guardians and Clair in real time, one showed the drifting airship circling high above the Northwest Gate.
A screens was static.
Two were blacked out entirely, the feeds restricted.
Another screen played the aftermath footage from the airship, revealing a lake of black glass, with rivers of crimson, emerald and sapphire, surrounding it is a landscape of glass sculptures formed from what used to be life but now is just a glass object preserving what used to be Mardudden.
The final screen repeated the exact moment of the Northeastern Gate's destruction ,frame by frame, the pulse, the flare, the preserved. Then looped again.
The figure reached for the phone and began to dial.
Over at the cafe in Turku, everyone is packing up all of the equipment inside the shop with the radio blaring in the background.
"-Mass evacu-tion have been ord-r throughout every n-tion with mere proxi-ity to a Ga-e. Ar-as that a-e being evac-ated includes, Malchow Germany, Turku Fin-and, Wa-saw Poland, Sheten islan-s Sweden and Ves-bygd Sweden. everyone wi-hin a 150 kilometers of these -ates are said to evacuate-"
A small chime rang as the café door opened.
"Ah sorry sir we are clo-...se...."
Everyone stared at the person standing at the door.
The figure is covered in dried mud and their coat is torn, their boots barely holding on.
"ah *pants* i made it!" Nat cheered.
"Nat?!?! where have you been?!" Clair asked.
Nat grabbed a chair and collapsed into it with exhaustion.
"been walking for 800 kilometers that where!" she snap her finger at one of the barista. "got any water?" Nat asked while Olivia handed her a bottle of water.
"well we got to go soon, they want to evacuate the city and we have to go if we want to continue this mission. Also he apparently expected you to come here, already sent a letter here" Clair explained before pulling out a piece of paper from a box and handing it to Nat.
"Apparently he wants you to come with us, and later he'll have a job he needs to give to you."
"So he just made me walked those 800 kilometer?!?!?!?" Nat exclaimed.
"apparently so."
"also" Nat called "do you have any way to contact him?"
TASP HQ, London, Great Britain.
10:12 AM 4/10/1931.
Inside TASP HQ, War Room.
People sat silently inside a dark room, infront of them, a projector screen with the TASP Symbol, in the backrow of seat sat multiple people whom faces cannot be seen.
A woman walked onto the stage.
"Alright, I've gather all of you here because of, this" She points at the screen which shows a picture of the explosion from multiple different angles.
"THIS, is a major problem and worst of all, we don't know who did it. The good news is we have found fresh shipwrecks in the area. Specifically, the Swedes did."
The screen changed to that of the shipwrecks which looks like giant half melted metal in the shape of a ship.
"As you can see, they are badly damage and all identification markers are destroyed, most likely by the explosion, and as you know, 17 days ago these Gates appeared."
The screen pan to the Gates.
"Towering Gates of unknown origins, and as of their arrival, so have the vehicles that came in and out of them."
The screen changed to every vehicle spotted that came out of those gates, most of them are stubby class ships and AL-1R Vultures.
A hushed murmur spread between the consultants.
"As of our 'consultants' back there says, that these 'Panturans' are the most dangerous creatures in existence. What they say is if they go uncheck we should expect either a economical collapse or global warfare, and from what I and our Swedish friend see, its starting to look like the latter."
The screen switched to the battle of Mardudden and Terrorist attack on Scandinavia.
"As you can see in the first picture, when there was a terrorist attack on the Scandinavian, there are these aircrafts."
Shows picture of Fal-1 Goshawk chasing wyverns and strafing the ground.
""These aircraft attacked a village. Yes, it had already been set on fire, and yes, there were terrorists present... but these were not local forces."
She turned slightly toward the back.
"Now, if you'll pay attention to the next video."
She uttered as a video began to play on the screen. The footage showed the Mardudden Gate, where a special forces team launched an assault on the containment facility before all contact was lost.
"An unknown enemy attacked one of the Gate containment facilities in Mardudden, Sweden. From what we've gathered, based on limited information from the sole survivor, the attackers spoke French. Whether these were rogue operatives or sanctioned forces remains unclear... but our suspicions are leaning heavily toward the French."
A hushed murmur spread across the room. One of the consultants.... unbothered.
The video changed, now showing multiple angles of the explosion.
"Now, whether this was caused by the French or not is still unknown. Which is a problem because if the French do have a weapon capable of this level of destruction, that's a big no no for us. And if some unknown force has it instead, well... that's still a major red flag."
The screen changed to a picture of 6 out of 8 gates.
"As far as we know it, these Gates have appeared in a giant circler area, and as far as we know it these Gates have been Deactivated, or atleast we thought so. From report by the Norwegians there is still 2 Gates that are active in the Scandinavian mountains and fjords."
The screen switched to a map of Norway.
"So we request any nation that does not border the French to help us investigate these 2 areas, and we should expect some heavy resistance. That is all. Any questions?"
there was a moment of silence before one of the consultants asked a question.
"And how exactly do you plan to investigate these 2 areas."
Paris, France.
Time: 11:27 PM Date: 4/10/1931.
Official Communiqué of the Ministry of National Unity and Public Safety.
Delivered by Minister Henri Lafayette, Palais de la République, Paris.
Date: 6th April, 1931.
The Minister approaches the rostrum amidst murmurs, dabbing his brow with a handkerchief. He clears his throat twice before speaking.
Minister Lafayette
"Ladies and gentlemen of the press, esteemed citizens of France, allow me first to express my deepest sympathies for the lives lost in the recent Scandinavian misfortune. It is the position of this government that the tragic event at Mårdudden, Sweden, was the result of an unforeseen geothermal upheaval, an unfortunate act of nature. Let it be known, there were no French forces present in the vicinity. The explosion, which has sadly claimed the lives of a number of Swedish nationals, is to be classified as a natural disaster of unusual magnitude."
Le Monde Correspondent
"Minister, multiple sources report the presence of French commandos near the so-called 'Glass Lake.' Can you deny this?"
Lafayette offering a tight smile
"My dear fellow, such accusations are entirely baseless. France has always respected the sovereignty of neutral nations. If any Frenchmen were in the region, they were undoubtedly geologists on an academic exchange or tourists with an ill-timed itinerary."
Agence Havas Reporter
"What of the destroyer Dague? It vanished in those waters the very night of the incident."
Lafayette chuckles lightly
"Ah, the Dague. A proud vessel. It was conducting a humanitarian mission—transporting winter relief supplies to northern settlements. Caught in an abrupt Arctic squall, it was, regrettably, lost with all hands. We mourn their sacrifice."
Daily Telegraph, London
"Minister, reconnaissance photographs appear to show armed French forces-"
Lafayette interrupted abruptly
"Propaganda! Forged photographs distributed by those who would undermine European unity. Likely British in origin. France has no quarrel with Sweden, nor any interest in disturbing her tranquility. Observe (pulls photo from pocket) here is His Imperial Majesty, feeding ducks by the Seine on the very day in question. A man of peace."
La Gazette Libre (an underground paper)
"What can you say regarding the foreign structures appearing across Europe these so-called 'Gates'?"
"What I can say is they are completely harmless but are restricted from public as we are conducting research as of to know their origins." Lafayette uttered
"The Republic of France is unwavering in its commitment to peace, prosperity, and scientific inquiry. We categorically deny any military involvement in Sweden. The situation at Mårdudden is a matter for Swedish authorities. France shall offer condolences, and nothing more. Any suggestion otherwise is subversion."
The Minister bows. Guards quietly escort a interrupting journalist away. Sounds of distress echo faintly through the corridor as the press conference ends.
"Vive la République! Vive la France!"
Malchow, Mecklenburg, French-Occupied Germany.
Time: 12:16 PM Date: 4/10/1931.
Air raid sirens wailed like dying metal through the ruined city streets. French troops moved with disciplined urgency, clad in a mix of blue horizon and darker grey field coats, some bearing the unmistakable cut of repurposed German uniforms.
Beyond the makeshift trenchworks and sandbag walls, the Malchow Gate loomed like a god's mistake, one kilometer tall, humming with unnatural light, and veined with pulsing veins of blue.
"All posts report elevated energy readings. Repeat abnormal oscillations from the Gate!" a voice shouted from a command tent where French engineers clustered around a reconfigured Telefunken radio array.
Along the perimeter, Schneider 75 mm guns had been reinforced with Krupp-style recoil systems. MG-30 machine guns, hastily adopted from captured German stores, were mounted on sandbags and bunkers. The weapons gave off a hybrid clank French wood stocks paired with precise German receivers, a mechanical blend of two uneasy empires.
A lone observation airship, stripped from the ruins of the Weimar fleet and draped in tricolor markings, drifted above the Gate like a silver ghost.
Then the Gate pulsed—once, then again, deeper. The earth trembled as silhouettes moved behind its surface. Soldiers cocked their rifles. Orders were whispered. Bayonets fixed.
No one spoke of retreat. Not in occupied Germany.
Over at Mardudden.
A muscular leg step onto the glass.